It has been nearly 13 years since author, rapper, activist, Sister Souljah, released her gritty novel, The Coldest Winter Ever. Fans have waited so patiently for the sequel, A Deeper Love Inside: The Porsche Santiaga Story. Readers will finally find out how Winter’s younger sister, Porsche, is handling the demise of her kingpin father and separation from her family.

For our first official interview for 2013, Sister Souljah took some time out of her schedule to share why it took so long to release the sequel, and what she hopes readers will learn from the story.

The Pearl Mic: It has been almost 13 years since the release of The Coldest Winter Ever. You released two awesome books in between (Midnight and Midnight and the Meaning of Love), but why did you leave fans waiting so long for the sequel, A Deeper Love Inside?

Sister Souljah: I began writing A Deeper Love Inside:The Porsche Santiaga Story right after The Coldest Winter Ever was published and becoming adored by readers all around the globe, and in those closed in places that we sometimes forget, like prisons and hospitals and so on.

I wrote about 125 Porsche pages before I laid my pen down and turned my attention to Midnight. I thought I needed a novel that was as powerful or more powerful than the Coldest Winter Ever, but from a male point of view. It did not take a genius to see that we were having a crisis in manhood, masculinity and maleness in our communities and hoods across the globe. We were experiencing more than 80% of our households without husbands or fathers and millions of our fathers, brothers, sons being routinely incarcerated. Meanwhile the murder rate was through the roof. If it was not the racist cops killing our men, or the racist citizens, it was us killing us. So Midnight, A Gangster Love Story and Midnight And The Meaning Of Love are two books that are crucial for our sons and men. Only women who don’t want, need and or love real men who are true, will hide those two Midnight books from their sons/brothers, men and fathers. Women who don’t want to be constructively criticized will discourage others from reading Midnight. Because after actually reading Midnight, both books. we women and we men definitely can not avoid becoming clear in our real lives.

Besides, all of the women who read The Coldest Winter Ever were in love with Midnight anyway. So why not give everyone, including myself, what we wanted!

Porsche is here now and she’s right on time and swinging from a whole other angle and taking readers on a crazy-unique- adventure in the pages of A Deeper Love Inside:The Porsche Santiaga Story.

TPM: What do you hope people, especially young women, will learn after reading the novel?

SS: I hope readers will learn that even when you/we are in an “impossible,” situation, we should think of more options than just the ones that are gonna get us in “a deeper and more fucked up hell.” Porsche is a down, but she’s not out. Her young and creative mind and wild imagination saves her life. More than anything this new joint is deep—deep feeling—fast moving—completely original and unique. It will be no way readers won’t learn a whole heap of real things that can be used in real life.

TPM: You know, many of us fell so deep in love with Midnight, not only for his good looks and charm, but his chivalry, discipline and unbreakable passion for love and family. What advice do you have for women who are single and wanting a Midnight of their own?

SS: If you want your own Midnight, read both Midnight books so you can see what a strong hot hearted man who is true, might admire. Midnight liked beautiful women who were strong but modest, a woman he could admire, lust and respect. A woman who is not cold on the inside, and is capable of loving and being loved. A woman who can recognize truth and embrace it and become it.

Midnight’s definition of “sexy,” was very much the opposite of what “American sexy,” means and projects. Midnight was comfortable surrounded by powerful woman because he has a powerful mother who is very modest, beautiful and extremely talented and hard working. She expresses her deepest love by the way she cares for her family.

TPM: Will your fans ever get to see Coldest Winter Ever –THE Movie?

SS: I am still taking meetings on The Coldest Winter Ever, the film version—which is depressing to my readers. However, I think it is a good sign. When it comes it will etch out a completely new genre in film, God willing.

TPM: Since this is a music blog, we want to know if you ever considered releasing new music. Are you tempted to hit the studio again?

SS: A true emcee never divorces his mic. I recorded a new cd after my first cd (360 Degrees of Power). I simply never released it. [Fun fact: Sister Souljah was once a member of Public Enemy.]

TPM: What is your take on women in hip-hop today?

SS: I don’t think about women in todays hip-hop.

TPM: Our motto is to be bold, beautiful and brilliant. What is your take on what it takes to embrace one’s boldness, beauty, and brilliance?

SS: To be bold and beautiful is to be a woman of faith who is modest, elegantly “soul-ed,” and compassionate.

Sister Souljah and Jada Pinkett-Smith at Festival of Books, 2011.

TPM: When you are not busy writing, doing book tours, teaching lectures or traveling for book tours, what do you do for fun?

SS: The things I do for fun are personal to me. However, I have fun in this life, love genuine laughter, love brilliant minded and talented women as friends, adore strong and true men, love the light and energy swirling around the youth. I love all things related to the good life, such as love, friendship, music, food, art, literature, and am most in love with beautiful languages and learning.